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Blair Notches 600th Win With 93-47 Defeat of Mississippi State

        

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS (AP) — Kelsey Bone had 20 points and 13 rebounds to help No. 6 Texas A&M handle Mississippi State 93-47 on Sunday and get Aggies coach Gary Blair his 600th career victory.
He has won 192 with the Aggies.
Texas A&M (4-0) was up by 25 points early in the second half before going on a 14-0 run to make it 65-26 and put the game out of reach. The Lady Bulldogs, who made just five field goals in the first half to get in an early hole, had four turnovers in that span.
Mississippi State (3-1) was led by Diamber Johnson's 14 points.
Karla Gilbert added 12 points and Tyra White and Adrienne Pratcher scored 11 points each for the defending national champion Aggies.
Mississippi State couldn't contend with Texas A&M's stifling defense from the outset. The 6-foot-4 Bone made it nearly impossible for the Lady Bulldogs to get the ball in the lane for easy shots and they were unable to connect from long range, going 1 of 14 from 3-point range.
They shot just 25 percent to A&M's almost 56 percent and were forced into 18 turnovers. More than half of Johnson's points came off free throws as she was just 3 of 16 on field goals.
Bone, in her first season with the Aggies after sitting out last year following a transfer from South Carolina, has improved in each game this year and Sunday was the 10th double-double of her career and first at Texas A&M.
It was the first meeting between these schools who will play in the same conference next season when the Aggies leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.
It's Texas A&M's last home game until the Aggies host No. 23 Southern Cal on Dec. 18. They will play five straight games away from College Station, starting with a post-Thanksgiving tournament in the Bahamas followed by games at No. 16 Purdue, No. 4 Connecticut and TCU.
Blair becomes the 22nd Division I coach to reach 600 wins and is one of 13 active coaches in the division to reach the mark. Blair had 210 wins at Stephen F. Austin and 198 at Arkansas before taking over in College Station in 2003.
He was honored with a video played in the arena after the win featuring congratulations from several former players and his family. After the video his team presented him with a bouquet of roses and a framed Texas A&M jersey bearing the number 600.
Mississippi State scored first with a pair of free throws from Porsha Porter before Texas A&M scored 17 straight points, led by eight points by Bone to make it 17-2 about seven minutes into the game. Porter finished with 12 points.
The Lady Bulldogs missed their first 12 shots and didn't get a field goal until a jump shot by Porter with less than nine minutes left in the first half. By then the Aggies had extended their lead to 25-6.
Mississippi State made just five baskets in the first half, but made 11 of 12 free throws to leave A&M ahead 43-21 at halftime.
 
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
• Texas A&M used the starting lineup of Adrienne Pratcher, Sydney Carter, Tyra White, Adaora Elonu and Kelsey Bone… It marked the fourth start of Bone’s Aggie career, the fifth career start for Pratcher, 58th for Carter, 75th for White and 78th for Elonu.
• The Aggies have now won 46 straight non-conference home games, since a 40-46 loss to Houston in December 2003. In addition, A&M has won 73 of its last 80 home games.
• Texas A&M improves to 1-0 in the all-time series with Mississippi State.
• A&M’s 11-minute span of holding Mississippi State without a field goal to start the game is the longest in the Gary Blair Era.
• For the third time this season, five different Aggies reached double figures (Bone, Gilbert, White, Pratcher and Adaora Elonu).
• With a season-high 23 assists, the Aggies tallied 20 or more assists for the first time this season.
• The Aggies also had season highs in points (93), field goal percentage (55.9) field goals made (38), and rebounds (53).
• The 46-point margin of victory was the largest since also outscoring ULM by 46 on Jan 4, 2011.
• Texas A&M held Mississippi State to season lows in field goal percentage (25%), rebounds (27), field goals made (14) and attempted (56), and 3-point field goal percentage (7.1%). The Aggies forced the Lady Bulldogs into a season-high 18 turnovers.
 
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Head Coach Gary Blair became the 25th-fastest all-time coach to reach 600 victories with a 600-242 career record.
• White has now started in 62 straight games, a streak that started on Jan. 4, 2010 against Lamar.
• White has also scored double figures in her last 13 games (which includes nine from last season)
• Bone’s 20 points were an Aggie career high as were her 13 rebounds.
• Pratcher’s 11 points were a career high.
• Freshman Tori Scott contributed a season-high 6 points.
• After a career performance against UALR, senior Skylar Collins added 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting, four rebounds, a block and a steal in just nine minutes on the court.
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
Opening statement
“We were hooked up and ready to play. As coaches, we were worried about it being our fourth game in nine days. I don’t know if we were that good, or if they just had an off night. Diamber Johnson played well, but she had to do a lot.
 
“I thought our bigs controlled the game. Bone is getting more and more comfortable in our system. I can bring in Bone or Gilbert and it really forces a team to focus on the inside.”
 
On A&M already playing intense basketball and not being complacent this year
“How can you have complacency if you have Coach Schaefer and I every day for practice? It’s impossible. When we broke down film of the UALR game, it was the worst one of our games, and we won by 29. Complacency isn’t going to happen. There’s no complacency here. We’re working hard as a coaching staff, and I’m sure they’re doing it in the Big 12.”
 
How proud of your team were you when your team held Mississippi State scoreless for 11 minutes?
“I kept looking up at the shooting percentage and it was zero. They had 4 points and it was all free throws. We build everything around the defensive end. It creates opportunities for us in transition and it teaches our kids to play hard. When you’re building a program you have to think about building it with defense, not with offense. You have to build it with kids that are good in your system.”
 
Was there a special significance on this game as being a future conference match up?
“Yes. I have a lot of respect for Coach Fanning. She’s going to hit 600 in about a week, she has 597 (career wins). She’s one of the pioneers in the game, like me, and she’s worked very hard. If Mississippi State can get it together, they can finish right in the middle of the pack in the SEC.”
 
On the tragedy at Oklahoma State
“With everything that has happened this week, you can’t think about the victories, you think about the people that are hurting right now. Think about all the hurt at Oklahoma State. I think it carried over to the football team. Everything carries over. To lose a good friend, a good assistant and two elder statesmen….I feel for them.
 
“We tried to put things in perspective and try to tell our players how important each moment you have is. You have to cherish the moments with your family each day. Too many times, as a coach, you’re just looking to the next game, but we have to realize that could have happened to any of us.”
 
JUNIOR CENTER KELSEY BONE
On playing against Mississippi State’s post players
“Our coaching staff put a lot of emphasis on the post players we were playing today. Martha Alwal was the leading rebounder in the country and just came off a game with 22 rebounds. In my mind, I thought it’s either dominate or get dominated and you never want to be the one to get dominated, so we went out with a killer instinct. The good thing about this team is that just when you think one of us is done, here comes someone else. The depth on this team is amazing.”
 
On the team’s defensive play
“This is a program that’s been built on defense and I think this might be the best film session we’ll have all year with Coach Schaefer. It’s exciting. It’s something that has been an emphasis and it’s demanded here. To see all the things you worked hard in in practice pay off.”
 
On Coach Blair’s 600th win
“That’s just something that couldn’t happen to a better person. He’s probably the best in the business. He’s one of a kind, it’s very rare, and for that to happen to him today, at home, it’s exciting and an honor to be a part of.”
 
SOPHOMORE CENTER KARLA GILBERT
Why does this team have that killer instinct?
“I think we’re playing for our lives. Looking back to where this team has come from, we’ve worked our butts off. To come back (from last season) and see where we’re ranked and how we’re already prejudged, we want to come back and prove ourselves. It’s basically a killer instinct we have on the floor and in our hearts.”
 
On Coach Blair’s 600th win
“He’s been here for a while, not to emphasize, but he’s an awesome coach. He likes to adjust and he’s capable of anything.”



 

 

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